Does leaving a round in the chamber for extended periods of time cause spring fatigue or any other harm to the internal parts? Also, isn't this extremely unsafe? I have a s-40 and would like to be "ready", but unsure of potential damage to the gun. I had a cz-75 that had a hammer so you could leave a round in the chamber with no worry of accidental misfire. My gun has a manual safety, but what else does it have? The manual states it has a drop and firing pin safety, what are these? I know the drop safety is in case you drop the weapon, but how does it function?
It does not cause any harm at all. Springs will only experience "creep" if they are compressed past the point they were designed for - see this article. Even though it focuses on magazine springs, the same princple applies. Guns do not pull their own trigger - the safety should be between your ears. In other words, it is only unsafe if you are an idiot - I'll leave it to you to decide whether or not you can handle it...
yep I'm an idiot, I'd probably shoot myself in the foot. I think I'll just keep the bullet in my pocket .....................j/k thanks for the info.
The only legitimate concern I see with having no manual safety is in the re-holstering. This would be the only part in handling your pistol where I see more "potential for disaster", as it would be prime time for something to make its way into the trigger gaurd as you press the pistol down. But if one is extra careful, there are no concerns.
This reminds me of that scene in Black Hawk Down when the Ranger captain tells the Delta to safety his weapon. The Delta holds his trigger finger up to the Ranger captain and says, "This is my safe." Decent movie, awesome book. Later,
Could do harm to someone attacking you. Other than that stay loaded or else the gun becomes a hammer.